Christian Brandstätter

What Christian Brandstätter does

Christian Brandstätter Verlag GmbH & Co KG is a family-owned Viennese publishing house founded in 1982 by Christian Brandstätter, now led by Managing Director Nikolaus Brandstätter. The company publishes art books, illustrated books, cookbooks, and lifestyle non-fiction in German-speaking markets under three program pillars: Kochen & Genießen (cooking), Wissen & Entdecken (knowledge), and Kunst & Leben (art/cultural history). The catalog exceeds 2,000 titles produced over 40+ years. Distribution combines a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop with a dedicated e-book platform (brandstaetterverlag.e-bookshelf.de) and trade distribution through Mohr Morawa in Austria and Brockhaus Commission across Germany and 15 European countries.

The business generates revenue from four streams: physical book sales (€9.99-€70 standard, up to €300 for collector editions), e-book sales, corporate publishing services for Austrian cultural institutions and corporations, and foreign rights licensing to publishers in the USA, England, France, and Italy. Named enterprise clients include Albertina, Belvedere, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Leopold Museum, Schloss Schönbrunn, Erste Bank, STRABAG, Swarovski, ÖBB, and the Österreichische Nationalbank. Beyond publishing, the company operates Salon Brandstätter, an exclusive cultural club with corporate patrons, and runs a monthly newsletter, podcast, and multi-channel social media presence.

The company is headquartered in Vienna (Wickenburggasse 26, 1080 Wien) with a secondary office in Munich, employs 11-50 people, and remains under family ownership with no external investment or public listing. Technical infrastructure is limited to standard e-commerce integrations (PayPal, Mastercard, VISA, Sofort, eps), Mailchimp for email marketing, Google Analytics, and Trusted Shops for buyer protection; no AI/ML capabilities are evident. Award recognition includes the Bruno-Kreisky-Sonderpreis, Wissenschaftsbuch 2018, Gourmand World Cookbook Award, and Gold Bestseller status (15,000+ copies) for Österreich vegetarisch.

Name

Christian Brandstätter

Legal name

Christian Brandstätter Verlag GmbH & Co KG

Website

https://brandstaetterverlag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Christian Brandstätter Verlag is a family-owned Viennese publishing house founded in 1982, producing art books, illustrated books, cookbooks, and lifestyle non-fiction in German-speaking markets, with additional corporate publishing and international rights licensing serving Austrian institutions and European readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Art books
• Illustrated books
• Cookbook publishing
• Corporate publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Physical): Sale of hardcover and paperback books through direct online shop and trade distribution partnerships in Austria, Germany, and EU countries. Revenue generated per-unit with pricing ranging from €9.99 to €70 for standard titles.
2. E-book Sales: Digital book sales through e-bookshelf.de platform. Available for titles like Feindbild Frau, Hass im Netz, Der Zufall, and others at lower price points than physical editions.
3. Corporate Publishing: Custom publishing services for corporate partners including prestigious Austrian cultural institutions and corporations. Branded books, company chronicles, magazines, and commemorative publications.
4. Rights & Licensing: Licensing of publishing rights to international publishers. Arts, cultural history, non-fiction, and cookbooks licensed to publishers in USA, England, France, and Italy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Christian Brandstätter Verlag is a Viennese book publishing house that publishes and sells art books, illustrated books, cookbooks, lifestyle publications, and non-fiction titles in German-speaking markets. It operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop and an e-book platform, and offers custom corporate publishing services to cultural institutions and corporations, as well as foreign rights licensing to international publishers.

Product overview

Christian Brandstätter Verlag (Brandstätter Verlag) is a traditional Vienna-based publishing house founded in 1982, operating as a book publisher with both physical and digital products. The core publishing program encompasses three main book categories: Kochen & Genießen (cooking/lifestyle), Wissen & Entdecken (non-fiction/knowledge), and Kunst & Leben (art/cultural history). Physical books are complemented by E-Books distributed through the brandstaetterverlag.e-bookshelf.de platform. Beyond publishing, the company offers Corporate Publishing services for institutional partners, Rights & Licensing for international sales, Salon Brandstätter as an exclusive cultural patron club, and a monthly Newsletter/Podcast for reader engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brandstätter Verlag Publishing Program (Physical Books) Physical book publishing program spanning art books, illustrated books, cookbooks, lifestyle and non-fiction titles in German-speaking markets, sold through own webshop and trade distributors at unit prices typically ranging €9.99 to €70, with collector editions up to €300.
• E-Books

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mohr Morawa Buchvertrieb GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for Austria. Handles order fulfillment and delivery for Austrian customers. Located at Sulzengasse 2, A-1230 Wien.
• Brockhaus CommissioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for Germany and EU countries. Handles order fulfillment and delivery for international customers. Located at Kreidlerstraße 9, D-70806 Kornwestheim.
• artfolio VertriebskooperationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution cooperation partnership for art and illustrated books.
• Dr. Hannes AndroschminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSalon Brandstätter supporter - exclusive club for cultural exchange
• PorrminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter of Salon Brandstätter cultural club
• SparminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter of Salon Brandstätter cultural club
• UniqaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter of Salon Brandstätter cultural club
• DorotheumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter of Salon Brandstätter cultural club
• AlbertinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for exhibition catalogs and art publications
• BelvederecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for art publications
• Kunsthistorisches MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for museum publications
• Leopold MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for art publications
• Schloss SchönbrunncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for imperial palace publications
• Erste BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for financial institution communications
• PorrcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for construction company
• STRABAGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for construction company
• SwarovskicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for crystal company
• ÖBBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for Austrian railways
• Österreichische NationalbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate publishing partner for national bank

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Callwey Verlag: Munich-based publisher of lifestyle, architecture, gardening, and illustrated books. Directly comparable to Brandstätter's illustrated lifestyle and design categories with shared German-language market positioning.
• Taschen: Cologne-based publisher of high-quality art, photography, and illustrated books with global distribution. Directly comparable to Brandstätter as a German-heritage illustrated/art book publisher competing in the same niche category with similar premium positioning.
• Hatje Cantz Verlag: German fine arts and illustrated book publisher based in Berlin. Closely comparable to Brandstätter's 'Kunst & Leben' program, both producing museum-grade art books for German and international markets.
• Prestel Verlag: Munich-based publisher specializing in illustrated art, architecture, design, and cultural books. Closely comparable to Brandstätter given shared DACH heritage, art-book focus, and similar museum/institutional publishing partnerships.
• Gestalten: Berlin-based publisher of high-quality illustrated books on design, architecture, and visual culture. Comparable to Brandstätter as a German-language illustrated-book publisher with strong art/design catalog and international distribution.
• Phaidon Press: International publisher of art, architecture, design, and cookbooks with strong museum partnerships. Directly comparable to Brandstätter across art book and cookbook categories, though operating at significantly larger global scale.
• TeNeues: German publisher of illustrated, art, and lifestyle books including photography and coffee-table titles. Comparable to Brandstätter's illustrated-book program with similar premium positioning and European roots.
• Wagenbach Verlag: Independent Berlin-based publisher known for literature, non-fiction, and essays in German. Comparable to Brandstätter's 'Wissen & Entdecken' program as a similarly-sized independent German-language publisher with strong editorial identity.

Broad incumbents

• Insel Verlag: Historic German literary publisher now part of Penguin Random House Germany. Comparable to Brandstätter as a German-language publisher, though operating at much larger scale and with broader literary rather than art-book focus.
• DK (Dorling Kindersley): Global illustrated book publisher (part of Penguin Random House) covering travel, cooking, and reference. Comparable to Brandstätter's illustrated cookbook and lifestyle categories at larger scale and with broader English-language reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brandstaetter_v
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BrandstaetterVerlag
• Facebookfacebook.com/Brandstaetter.Verlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brandstaetterverlag/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/brandstaetterverlag
• TikToktiktok.com/@brandstaetterverlag

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Christian Brandstätter